I liked the Earth-2 me better.
DC announced today that 2010 will bring original graphic novels starring Batman and Superman.
The OGNs will showcase the heroes in “their first years and earliest moments retold in a standalone, original graphic novel format, on a new earth with an all-new continuity.”
Kind of like the All-Star line.
Batman of Earth One
Ignoring the ugly design, it looks like DC is trying to do something with the multiverse since they reestablished its existence in Infinite Crisis nearly four years ago. (I know Countdown and Final Crisis also used the concept, but it seems like it’s been reserved strictly for Events.)
Or trying to establish their second Ultimate line.
DC had done away with the multiverse when I was four years old. I was certainly aware of the concept and even read and enjoyed several of those pre-Crisis issues, but “my” DCU was a single timeline. Hell, “my” DCU was post-Crisis and post-Zero Hour
Am I biased against DC’s current “modern Silver Age?”
Of course I am. One of my favorite things about DC’s comics was the legacy characters. I liked the passing of the torch, characters growing and aging– something rarely seen over at Marvel.
(I’m not making a dig at Marvel with that comment. I like and dislike things at each company.)
I prefer Wally West to Barry Allen. Kyle Rayner to Hal Jordan. (To be fair, I prefer being poked in the eye to Hal Jordan.) I like Dick Grayson growing up, moving past his time as Robin and becoming Nightwing. Again, this is a personal preference. I know not everyone agrees with me, especially when it comes to Hal Jordan.
However, this Silver Age revivalism is a step backward, not forward. Whatever you think of Marvel’s current storylines, they aren’t rehashing the past.
But, comic book storytelling is cyclical. Eventually, creators with views and ideas similar to mine will gain prominence and power and this Silver Age 2.0 will fade.
Given the darkness of the stories, maybe Tarnished Silver Age is a better term.
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